SasuHina Prompts
by Liviyan
Summary: The cutest couple that never was! A number of oneshots written around prompts. Some fluff, some angst, some slight AU, all Sasu/Hina! Please, read and review, I promise they're better than how I make them sound!
1. Sticky Notes or Happy Birthday

**So, here I am! My first Naruto fics. I realize that in some parts, this may out of character. I mean, WHAT? Sasuke with someone? Well, it's ben written, and here's my story. Not too good at gushy stuff, so hopefully this isn't a disappointment. =] Please, read on!**

**Disclaimer:**** Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me. If it did, this would be somewhat canon.**

Sticky Notes (Or Happy Birthday)

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><p>Sunlight filtered in through the window, light spilling across the already-made bed. The sole occupant of the small apartment was currently in the kitchen, making breakfast. Sasuke Uchiha stood at his stove, cooking his favorite breakfast, yawning slightly. Dark onyx orbs flashed to the clock, making sure he wasn't late for training. <em>It's still early…good…<em>

Today was a rather important day for Sasuke—or rather, it was to the people _other_ than Sasuke. Today was Sasuke's thirteenth birthday, and honestly, he couldn't grasp the significance—it was just another day. In fact, he hated it. It meant another year he lived longer than his family had, thanks to Itachi. Sasuke's hand tightened on the pan's handle and his teeth gritted as he thought about his brother.

He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. _Not now…_He took his food to the table, sat, and ate slowly as he was mentally waking up. When he finished, he glanced at the clock again and took his dishes to the sink. He allowed himself only one birthday present: to end training an hour early. This meant if he was going to get a decent amount in, he'd have to leave now. Tying on his forehead protector, he paused at the door to pull on his sandals and left his apartment.

Sasuke squinted slightly as he stepped out into the bright sunshine. He looked down the street to see his village bustling about. His eyebrows took up their familiar position as he fell into his usual impassive scowl. He began his walk to the training grounds, taking his time. He had managed to get halfway there with no interruptions, which resulted him being in a fairly cheerful mood—well, cheerful for Sasuke. Just as he passed the Ichiraku Ramen stand, however, his mood changed quickly.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

The dark-haired boy's eyes closed in irritation as a familiar, loud voice reached his ears. He turned slightly and frowned at the boy in the bright orange jumpsuit sitting at the stand, a foxy grin on his face. "Hey, Teme! C'mon, have some ramen!" Naruto Uzumaki invited his best friend happily, bright blue eyes shining.

"No thanks," Sasuke answered, continuing on his way. _I should've known Naruto would be here…why did I walk this way again? _He asked himself. He didn't have a clue, he just did.

"Awwww! C'mon, Sasuke, don't be a killjoy!" the blond whined. Sasuke's eye twitched slightly, "Come have some ramen, have some fun for once!"

"I don't have time for that. Besides, I already ate," Sasuke looked out of the corner of his eye at his teammate. "Idiot."

The vein in Naruto's forehead became pronounced. "Argh…I'm not an idiot!" Sasuke just smirked, "Hn", and continued on as Naruto shouted about his being Hokage someday at his back. He walked on in a generally good mood, thinking about training and just what he would practice. _My taijutsu needs some practice…it's good, strong, but not enough…I should—_

"Saaaaaaaaaaasukeeeeeee!"

The blue-clad boy froze at the familiar call. He willed himself not to whip a kunai behind him as he grudgingly looked to see the source of the call. What he saw didn't surprise him in the least, but he still didn't like it at all.

Sakura Haruno was running towards him, a huge and slightly flirty smile on her face and a brightly wrapped box in her hands. Sasuke's eyebrow moved a fraction of an inch at the object, but his expression remained the same otherwise.

"Happy Birthday, Sasuke!" she said brightly, once she caught up to him and her breath. She held the box out to him, smiling almost hopefully, and in return he gave her a small glare. "What's that?"

"It's your present, silly!" she answered, giving a light laugh. Inwardly, Sasuke frowned. "I don't need a present. They're pointless." He turned, but just before he could move Sakura ran in front of him, still holding the box out.

"But it's your birthday!" She insisted, "And I worked really hard to get this for you!" Sasuke just kept walking, "No thanks." He looked straight ahead, ignoring a pouting Sakura behind him, and was gladly looking forward to a nice work out, _alone_, to the grounds.

"Saaaaaaaaaaasuke!" A flash of blond appeared, and he was suddenly engulfed in a binding hug. _Ugh…stupid girls…_

"Ino, you pig!" Sakura screeched, and inwardly the boy cringed, sure his eardrums were damaged. He sighed in relief, however, as Ino, with her own bright-colored box, let go of him and turned to her best friend and rival, shouting right back.

He wasn't listening to their argument, as she quietly and quickly slipped away, thankfully unnoticed by the two. "I don't need this…" he mumbled to himself, aggravated. He turned another corner and froze.

About ten different girls, none of which he knew their names, all stopped babbling and stared at him simultaneously. He glanced at every one of them, and saw that they all had one thing in common, besides being girls and staring creepily at him.

Bright colored boxes.

Now, Sasuke Uchiha is a prodigy. The pride and joy of Konaha, a legend, almost. The last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, the boy who lived. He graduated from the Academy with top marks, and been on dangerous missions beyond his level, like the Land of Waves. He almost _died_, for Christ's sake! And he had not felt fear once, not even when he sacrificed himself for Naruto (he still claimed his body moved on it's own). However, looking at this large group of girls with their gifts obviously meant for him and all screaming his name at once, Sasuke Uchiha felt a small trickle of true fear.

The first thought that came to mind was to attack them. But they were all members of the same village, and they weren't trying to kill him (right?). So, he did the next thing that popped in his mind: Run.

_Dammit! This is NOT going as planned today! I just wanted to train, why is that so difficult? Freakin' girls!_

He ran all through town, even attempting to lose the squealing fangirls by doubling back and zigzagging, and even hiding behind various stands to no avail. He ran into an alley and stopped dead. The girls had apparently split into two groups, and while one had chased behind him, the other had circled around and were now standing in front of him.

He was trapped.

Surrounded, he had decided enough was enough. "There he is!" one girl screamed. "Get him!" ordered another, and they all ran straight at him, pushing and shoving one another in order to give him their present first. And suddenly, he was gone.

"Where'd Sasuke-kun go?"

"He's gone!"

"Well, duh! I wanted to give him my present…"

The boy in question sat hidden among the leaves of a nearby tree. He looked down at the girls, pissed off and disgusted. _Aren't they ninja? Pathetic!_ He mentally spat.

Once they had dispersed, he decided he needed to train, _now_. He had wasted enough time, and now he was in a terrible mood. As he jumped across the rooftops to avoid anymore unwanted attention, he vaguely wondered why they were so excited to get him a present for his birthday, when he's made it clear he did not want any. _I don't even remember telling anyone when my birthday was!_ he thought grumpily.

He landed at the training grounds and walked to his usual spot, and his mood worsened as he saw a figure training (rather pathetically) in the clearing. He had chosen a time to be here when he was sure no one else would be there, but now, thanks to that man-hunt, he had wasted it. He sighed angrily as he walked towards the clearing. Dammit, he was going to train today! And he sure wasn't going to knock off an hour _this_ year. Maybe add one…

As he neared, he could make out the figure. It was a girl, rather petite. She had a coat on, and her blue hair shone. Based on her pale eyes, the protruding veins around them, the symbol on her jacket and her fighting style, he concluded that she was a Hyuga. He recognized her vaguely, in that she graduated in his class from the Academy, and that she was put on a team with Inuzuka and Aburame, Team Eight, but he didn't remember her name, nor did he care.

He leaned against a nearby tree, hands deep in his pockets, and watched her train. She took a familiar stance (he had seen the other Hyuga, Neji, take this stance before), Byakugan activated, and she began the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms attack on the dummy in front of her. Sasuke's eyebrows raised slightly at the agility she possessed, but her hits were weak. He thought distantly to when he was younger, practicing relentlessly to gain his father's approval as well as Itachi's. He remembered Itachi watching him train, and he wondered if his brother had thought the same way about him then.

"Oh!" Hearing a squeak of surprise, the raven-haired boy snapped out of his thoughts to see the Hyuga girl blushing a deep pink, her pale eyes looking at his feet. "I-I didn't realize anyone was watching," she stuttered quietly, apologetically.

Sasuke pushed himself off the tree. "Hn…don't worry about it. You shouldn't get distracted. If I were an enemy ninja, I'd have killed you by now," he said flatly, crossing his arms in a disapproving manner. Her eyes found their way up to his own, before she fixed them on a tree to her left. "Ah, yes…" she agreed. He dropped his arms and walked past her, to begin his own session. Just as he passed her, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her; she hadn't moved, she was just fiddling with the hem of her jacket.

"Hey." She jumped, startled, and gazed at him. "What's your name?" he asked. She blinked in surprise, "H-Hinata," she responded. He nodded to acknowledge her, then strolled to the dummy. He took his stance once situated, then started to pummel it. Hinata, much to his annoyance, stood by and watched him in apparent awe.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw she had moved slightly closer. _What is she doing? Ugh, I've had enough girls drive me crazy today._ Then, it hit him. She had struck him as slightly different, though he didn't know how at first. But now he figured it out: she had no present for him. That, and she wasn't throwing herself at him. She just sat quietly watching him.

"Why are you here?"

Hinata looked at him, a light blush returning to her cheeks. _She does that a lot…_he noted absently, as she poked her index fingers together. "I was training," she answered. He turned to fix his dark eyes on her. "I know that, I saw you. I mean, why are you still here?" He thought that perhaps she was just waiting to give him a present—no doubt something he didn't like, it always was—instead of forcing it on him. Watching her speak, he gathered that it would be just like her. He was used to the present giving, though he still detested it. He hated his birthday.

She looked at him quickly, her blush fading. "Why? O-oh. I was w-watching you train. It's…admirable, how h-hard you work, and you succeed." She blinked, "D-do you want me to leave?" she asked.

He gazed at her, his usual light scowl on his face, but it was slowly disappearing. She was just watching him train? She had mentioned nothing of his birthday—maybe she didn't know it was today. And she had looked genuinely surprised. Nonetheless, he preferred to train alone, so he opened his mouth to answer her.

"No," he said, surprising them both. "It's fine. I won't be here long, and then you can continue," he added. She smiled slightly, pleased. "T-thank you." She walked over to a tree with a bento box placed beside it. He watched her suspiciously, as he had become accustomed to be wary of girls with boxes on this most special of days. However, his wariness disappeared as she contently pulled some onigiri out of the box, some tomatoes, and tea, and began to eat. He eyed the tomatoes, remembering his breakfast that seemed ages ago, but said nothing. Her lack of enthusiasm toward him was throwing him off, though he didn't mind it; he didn't want it. It was just something he had grown used to over the years.

"Sasuke-san? D-do you want to sit?" Sasuke looked down at her, lavender-tinted eyes gazing at him curiously. "I h-have plenty, if you like. I-if not, I understand…" she trailed off uncertainly, as her cheeks turned pink once again. He realized that she had no idea what to say any more than he did. They had barely interacted at the Academy, and now that they were Genin with their own teams, he saw her very rarely, if at all. So, figuring he should show her some sort of courtesy, he answered her in the only way he knew how. "Hn. Fine."

She pulled out another onigiri and teacup, and set up his own food while he sat down across from her. She poured his tea as he grabbed a tomato and popped it in his mouth. He savored the slightly sweet, yet tart taste, and he vaguely realized he was eating lunch with a girl. Hearing a tiny giggle, he locked eyes with her. "What?"

She looked down, still smiling slightly. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. It's just…you r-really like tomatoes, don't you?" Looking down, he realized he had eaten all his tomatoes. He shrugged, "Yeah. They taste good." They ate in silence, and when all of the lunch was gone he noticed a bit of bright blue on the pale box. "What's that?" he pointed towards the small square of paper.

She looked down, curious as to what he meant. "Oh. That's a s-sticky note. I like to w-write and leave them for people," she muttered. "Sometimes, I…I write them for m-myself." She showed him the paper, which read 'Have a nice day! Train hard!' and had a small heart drawn next to the message.

Sasuke let out a small snort. "That's pointless," he said. "Why write to yourself?" The girl looked down, embarrassed. "I…I don't know. It motivates me, and I like the feeling of getting a nice n-note, even if it's from m-myself." He shrugged again in response, it didn't matter to him what she thought.

After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again. "Ah…um, ano, Sasuke, but…I saw you running earlier. I-it may be n-none of my business, but I wonder…what were you running f-from?" He debated answering her—she was right, it _was_ none of her business—then sighed quietly. She was okay, at least. Not totally annoying. "Girls." She blinked, then asked, "Why were you running from them? Weren't they being n-nice?"

He glared at her. Typical girl. "They were being _annoying_," he corrected. "They were trying to give me presents."

"Why? It's not Valentine's Day…"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It's my birthday. And it's the same every year: they give me these stupid gifts that are useless. Mostly candy, or cupcakes. I don't like sweet things," he muttered irritably. He glanced at her to see her staring at the ground in thought.

"Oh…well, I-I'm sorry you can't enjoy your b-birthday," she said after a moment. "I just hope I d-didn't make it worse."

He shrugged again, "Do you plan on giving me a cupcake?" She shook her head. "Then it doesn't matter. I got to do what I wanted anyway," he nodded towards the battered dummy a few feet away. He swore he saw a tiny smile of pride on her face, but he chose to ignore it. She was strange, but he tolerated her a lot more than the others. He liked that she was quiet—it left him alone to think, although he didn't like her stutter.

After another half-hour of silence, which was getting comfortable, he admitted, she stood and grabbed her bento box. "I must go. Thank y-you for sharing lunch with m-me," she said, a little brightly. He nodded. "I m-must go shopping n-now. I hope your d-day is better," she bowed a little, and the vague thought that it already was crossed his mind for a fleeting second. When she turned, the bright blue square on the side of the box caught his eye, and for some strange reason he wondered what it would be like to receive a sticky note, even one with a stupid message that was pointless.

He kept training for another hour or so, until he figured he should head home to prepare dinner. Slowly he wandered the streets home, careful to not run into anymore crazy girls. He was now in a decent mood at finding just one of them who wasn't obsessed with him (and strangely, he felt the littlest bit uncomfortable at that thought), so he didn't want it ruined.

He successfully made it to the street he lived on, and he noticed there was something lying at his door. He drew closer, curious, and saw it was a basket. He stood in front of his door, looking down at a basket full of ripe, red tomatoes sitting on his porch at his feet. And, right on the handle, was a little blue sticky note that read, 'Happy Birthday!' and a smiley drawn next to it. Despite himself, he let a small smile cross his face.

Maybe, his birthday wasn't so bad.

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><p>The next morning, Hinata woke up to her sister knocking loudly on her door. "Sister! Wake up, Father wishes us to train!" Hanabi called, her voice slightly amused. This surprised Hinata—any business concerning her father was far from amusing, which Hanabi knew, as well as the fact that Hanabi took almost everything very seriously.<p>

She heard her sister walk on past her door, and she slid out of bed and quickly dressed. Once ready, she opened the door to find something very out of place on it—a green, small piece of paper.

A sticky note.

Surprised, Hinata pulled it off her door and stared absently at it, not even reading it. Just who would leave her a sticky note? Her father and Hanabi were too serious, and even Neji expressed that the idea was childish. Perching on the edge of her bed, she finally read the handwritten words:

'Thanks.'

Hinata smiled, and stuck the note on top of her dresser, proud of herself for making someone's day, especially the stoic Uchiha's.

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><p><strong>Okay, that's prompt number one that my friend gave me. Next one is 'Ice Cream', thanks to my friend Crystalprison. =D I hope you like it, I think I kept them very in character. It's mostly fluff, very light, but it's good stuff. ^_^ So click that review button, and give me prompt idea if you want! <strong>

**~Liviyan**


	2. Ice Cream

**Thanks to Crystalprison for reviewing first, though that didn't shock me. ^_^ This one is relatively short, but I think it's cute. Small bits of fluff, only if you squint, but I think it's a cute, typical Sasuke-Hinata interaction. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Naruto. I'm not that cool.**

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><p><span>Ice Cream<span>

_This. Isn't. Happening._

A certain raven-haired boy half-glowered, half-sulked, as he followed his team through Konaha, led by Kakashi. His sensei decided, since they did well on a recent mission and returned early, he'd treat Team Seven to ice cream. They were kids, right? And kids love ice cream.

Unfortunately, Sasuke Uchiha was _not_ like most kids.

His teammates, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, seemed quite happy at this prospect however. They were chatting animatedly about which kind they were going to get while Kakashi walked alongside them, amused.

They eventually arrived at the ice cream shop, which was well-hidden. The blond and pinkette scrambled quickly to find which flavor appealed to them most. Kakashi, watching them, realized that there was a dark-haired boy missing, and he looked down at his side to see the Uchiha prodigy grumpily glaring at the counter. "What's wrong, Sasuke?"

"I hate sweets," he answered.

"Come on," Kakashi urged, "who doesn't like ice cream? Besides, it's ice cream, not sweets."

"Same difference. It has too much sugar."

The masked man sighed. "Be a good sport, Sasuke. Just, I don't know…get a small cone. And a simple flavor," he suggested, before moving forward to give his order, a strawberry-vanilla twist. Once handed to him, he waited for Sasuke while the other two found a table.

The boy grunted his order grudgingly, and once handed to him, he followed Kakashi to the booth and sat down. His teacher pulled out a familiar orange book, and ate his ice cream behind it. Naruto and Sakura talked loudly, trying to get Sasuke to smile. He wouldn't have it, however, and just glared angrily at his treat.

Hesitantly, he stuck out his tongue and licked just a teeny bit of his vanilla cone. The sweetness washed over his taste buds, and he shuddered.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" he heard Naruto exclaim. Opening his eyes, he saw the Hyuga standing at their table, obviously on her way to her own, and her face was a deep red.

"Oh…h-h-hi, N-naruto-kun," she stammered out, just barely. Sakura greeted her as well, while Sasuke continued to stare daggers at his ice cream, which was slowly dripping in his hand.

"Oh, Hinata," Kakashi smiled pleasantly under his mask, his own cone now gone. "Are you alone?" When she nodded, he added "Why don't you join us?"

"Yeah, c'mon! Have a seat!" Naruto chimed happily. The shy girl widened her eyes and sat down quietly, gripping her chocolate-vanilla twist. She licked it silently, her face still a steady red.

"Sasuke-kun, your ice cream's melting," Sakura pointed out. He grunted angrily, then took another hesitant lick. God, it was _sweet_.

"What's wrong, Teme? Don't you like it?" Naruto grinned.

"No. I hate sugar," he grumbled in reply. He tried yet another lick, and immediately wished he didn't. Why did he keep doing this to himself?

"Um…S-Sasuke…"

He glanced at the blue-haired girl, who was now looking at him, the color fading from her cheeks. Dark eyes flashed to pale, and he made a noise in his throat in acknowledgement. "What?"

"If…if you don't like s-sugar…why didn't y-you get sugar-free?" she asked. She was met by silence, and she flushed again.

"…I'm leaving. Here," he handed the cone to Hinata, gave a bit of money to Kakashi, and left abruptly.

Poor Hinata stared at his dripping cone in her hand, embarrassed. "That jerk! Why did he do that?" Naruto shouted indignantly, while Sakura watched Sasuke's retreating back out the window in shock.

Kakashi chuckled, "Because Hinata's right." He watched his student stomp down the street. "And he doesn't like to be outsmarted, not even over something as little as ice cream."

**Well, there ya go. I like it, just something funny and simple. Next, Yin & Yang! Please, click that button and review like your life depends on it!**

**~Liviyan**


	3. Yin & Yang

**Okay, now this one may be a little mushy and OOC, but I like doing things in Sasuke's perspective. Also, this is slightly AU: Sasuke came home after fighting Itachi, and never found out the reason for the massacre, so he doesn't want to destroy his village. If he seems creepy...well, sorry. He can be alittle, though. I think it's sweet, though, this prompt. ^_^ Read on!**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto...seriously.**

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><p><span>Yin &amp; Yang<span>

They were similar in quite a few ways.

They both were members of prestigious, well-known clans. They were both incredibly quiet, and were the same age. They had loud best friends, and had admirers. They had people they had, or still did, wish to impress. Both were ninja for Konaha, and both cared deeply (though _he'd_ never admit it) for their comrades.

And yet, for someone as intelligent as Sasuke Uchiha, it was increasingly difficult to grasp how two people so similar could be so different.

There was the obvious, of course: him being a boy, and her a girl—well, more so a man and woman, at sixteen. But, he found this nagging thought that it went so much deeper than that.

His family was dead. Hers was very much alive. She was smiled at, praised, an angel; he was frowned at, considered a criminal, a demon. He had always, when they were young, been thought of as a success—she had been deemed a failure.

She opened herself to love, and he shut himself away. Light, and Dark.

Reflecting on that notion, Sasuke felt that _that_ was a foolish move for her—she opened herself to love, and therefore pain, while he had managed to avoid it for ten long years. Oh sure, like any young teenage boy, he had had small, vague thoughts about it, but no one had appealed to him. He had a goal, an ambition, and he was not going to let himself be distracted by something so petty.

But now, with Itachi dead and his ambition fulfilled, what was there to stop him? He didn't want to think about it.

Upon returning to the village, Sasuke was given a wide berth. He supposed he deserved it, though that didn't mean he was fond of it. And of course, old habits die hard; while Naruto and Sakura tried to make him feel more welcome, more accepted, he continued to back himself into his shell more and more, which only fueled the isolation.

Right now, the Uchiha sat on a roof, watching a young woman play with a small dog in a stretch of yard below him. She had long, indigo hair that spilled down her back, a lavender jacket, and (from where he could see) pale eyes.

Hinata Hyuga.

He frowned as he watched her lift the puppy shamelessly in the air and tickle it, laughing. He could not understand just what it was about Hinata Hyuga that was so _interesting_.

He remembered her from their childhood. She was always stuttering, blushing, and shy—especially when Naruto was around. He himself never paid her any attention; he had his own business, and he just felt that she wasn't worth his time. He had viewed her as weak.

And now, watching her play and hearing her clear laugh, he was starting to think that he had been wrong.

He knew what he was feeling—he wasn't stupid. It was all new to him, yes, but he did know what it was. He realized that, somehow, this girl who had been nobody to him, who was so much like him, could balance him out easily. Now, with his quest for power over, he genuinely wanted to become a true member of Konahagakure. But he also know that, due to his past actions and decisions, it wouldn't happen very quickly. And as he continued to watch the young woman talk with her team, he realized another thing.

Hinata Hyuga, the girl he had never noticed and who had suddenly become the single most important being to him, was the light to match his dark. The sweet to his sour, the sun to his moon.

The yin to his yang.

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><p><strong>Aw, Sasuke! =P This one was difficult, but I am VERY proud of it's turnout. Please review, tell me what you think! And also, please, give me some prompt ideas! I'd love to hear them. Until next time!<strong>

**~Liviyan**


	4. Flowers

**And now, here's the newest one, Flowers! I tried doing things in Hinata's perspective a little, but I had to go back to Sasuke's for some parts. This one isn't as good, I don't think, but I still like it. Thanks to all who reviewed, and please keep reviewing! THey mke my day!**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto!**

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><p><span>Flowers<span>

Hinata was a simple girl. She liked simple, girly things: sunshine, smiles, and flowers. Oh yes, especially flowers.

Well, to be more accurate, she liked _pressing_ flowers. It was a habit she picked up one day, when her mother showed her what a pressed daisy looked like. Little Hinata was so awed at how the delicate little flower kept it's beauty, she decided she always wanted to do that. With every type of flower she could find.

She often took flowers home as souvenirs from missions and travels; sometimes Neji, who knew of her hobby, brought her some as well, asking if she had it in her collection yet. And she was delighted, despite her father thinking it a waste of time.

Today, the girl was on a mission. Her collection was almost complete—almost. She needed one more flower, just one. Unfortunately for her, it was rare: The Akahigezaki Hige morning glory. And it was extremely difficult to find.

She had tried for several years, now. And it was gnawing at her, that she was so close to finishing. All she truly wanted (besides, of course, Naruto returning her feelings and her father being proud of her) was to find the beautiful fuchsia bloom, so she could feel at ease. Not even Kiba, Shino, or even Kurenai-sensei could locate it for her. But, she never gave up. And so, that was what she planned on doing today in her free time: scouring around the village for the elusive flower.

She had already tried all the flower stands, and the Yamanaka shop—she had practically begged Ino to see if they had it, but they didn't. She had tried the training grounds, but nothing there, either. She had just asked Tenten, Choji, and Lee to keep an eye out, and they promised to let her know if they found it.

"It's so beautiful the way young Hinata searches for the true beauty of nature!" Lee sighed, tears almost in his eyes. Tenten facepalmed, while Choji munched on his trademark potato chips.

Walking through the main street, the shy girl wracked her brains for any more areas around the village she could search. "Hey, Hinata!" She looked up to see her lifelong crush, Naruto Uzumaki, walking towards her, with Sakura and Sasuke at his side, the latter trailing behind a little.

"Oh! H-hi, N-n-naruto," she practically whispered, her face turning beet red. _Ah! Naruto-kun…he's talking to me! And Sakura-chan, too…_she noticed the Uchiha had said nothing, just standing behind and looking off to his right with a bored, impassive expression.

"Whacha doing here?" He asked curiously. At her silence, Sakura hurriedly jumped in. "What he means is, we hardly ever see you, especially around here," she added. She did feel sorry for the poor girl, who seemed to lose her whole nerve whenever around her blond teammate. She could see it was painfully obvious how she felt about Naruto; unfortunately, she also knew he was dense enough to not suspect a thing. She vaguely wondered just what it was about Naruto that Hinata was so attracted to.

"Oh…w-well, I'm trying t-to find out w-where I can find this f-flower, for m-my collection," she explained, not meeting Naruto's eyes. "What kind of flower?" Sakura asked. "Yeah, maybe we can help you find it! Right, Sasuke?" Naruto addressed over his shoulder to his best friend.

Said boy glanced out of the corned of his eye at the three, studying each of them, lastly the Hyuga. "Hn." He closed his eyes, and kept on walking. Hinata watched him, wondering why he was acting so rude—then she remembered he was always like this, it was just his nature. She looked back at the other two. "Ah, n-no…don't worry about it…I can f-find it m-myself, just…" she fiddled with her sleeve, looking at the ground, "if possible, c-could you keep an eye out f-for it? It's a small morning glory, with a fuchsia coloring to the p-petals. And if you could t-tell me where y-you found it, I would r-really appreciate it…"

Sakura looked thoughtful, "Well, we _are_ going to meet with Kakashi-sensei for a mission…we can probably look for it for you, as long as the mission isn't dangerous."

Naruto scoffed, "Oh, it's probably painting fences again! Grandma Tsunade has been giving us really easy missions lately, I bet we could find it!" He gave Hinata a thumbs up, to which she blushed even deeper (apparently, it was possible!), and grinned. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan! We'll find your flower for you!" He and Sakura ran off after Sasuke, Sakura waving a goodbye over her shoulder.

Hinata hadn't moved after several minutes, though her color was very slowly beginning to fade. _Naruto…he's so kind…_she shook her head, and continued walking. She had a lot of time left today, it was just past lunchtime. "Maybe I'll l-look around the gate…" she mused, then ran to the front gate of the village.

She _will_ find this flower, no matter what.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Sasuke was trying to tune out his teammates' loud voices. <em>Annoying…sometimes, I wish we could do missions alone…<em>he didn't mind Kakashi so much, his teacher kept to himself unless otherwise needed.

Team Seven was just assigned a D-rank mission by Tsunade to go out to a nearby farm and, oddly enough, paint the fences ("See? I _told _you!" Naruto had shouted at Sakura, who promptly punched him), as well as care for the livestock and water the crops. Sasuke thought that this was a waste of skill and time—they were ninja, they weren't meant to do these sort of petty chores! But, as Kakashi had pointed out, it pays pretty well, and it counted as training and strengthened team bonds. Sasuke had no choice but to accept, although his opinion and attitude hadn't changed.

After an hour or two of walking, shouting, reading, and (on Sasuke's part) restraining from turning around, they finally made it to a small meadow in a clearing. On top of a hill in the very center sat a farmhouse, and the team made their way to the house. They were met by what the dark-haired boy assumed was the head of the house, an elderly looking man accompanied by his wife.

"Hello!" Kakashi greeted. "I am Kakashi Hatake, and this is my team of students. We were the ninja assigned to assist you today?"

"Oh, yes!" The man replied happily. "Thank you very much, I appreciate the help. You see, my back isn't what it used to be, and I've been told to take it easy for awhile…" Kakashi gave a light chuckle, and held up a hand. "Of course, it's no trouble at all. Now, if you would be so kind as to give us our assignments, we'll get right to work…"

Three Hours Later

Sasuke wiped his brow. It was hot, and they had just finished their jobs. The animals were in the barn and fed, the fence looked good as new, and the plants had all been watered. Afterwards they were treated to dinner, and Kakashi suggested they rest for an hour or so before they made their way back home. Naruto, who had forgotten his promise to Hinata due to his concentration (sort of) on his tasks, promptly laid down and fell asleep, exhausted. Sakura got up to help the farmer's wife with the dishes, while the farmer went to rest his back. Sasuke, not wanting to sleep and could find nothing else to do, stood up. "I'm taking a walk," he told Kakashi, who had not really heard him and was starting to doze off.

Leaving the house, the Uchiha walked along towards the edge of the forest, and just walked and walked. He began to think about how this was a waste of time, of how he could have been training. Then, thoughts of his brother swarmed his mind, and he clenched his fists. _Itachi…_he felt hatred surge through his body, and opened his eyes slowly. He walked along, more slowly, concentrating on making his anger fade, for now. He noticed the sprouts of flowers along the path as he walked. He sat down at the base of a large tree, and, taking a deep breath, he looked around at the various flowers spaced round him.

After awhile, the flowers reminded him of something…no, some_one_, but who?

Ino? Well, she owned a flower shop, but no…quieter…

Shino? No…it was definitely a girl…

Who? Ah, he got it.

Hinata. He remembered her as they were on their way to meet with their teacher that morning. Her mentioning a flower collection, or something like that…he snorted. How stupid, who collects flowers? Although, he figured it would be just like the girl; calm, quiet, safe. A fitting hobby.

She had been looking for something that morning, a certain rare flower. He had noticed her long before the other two had, and he saw the look of pure, raw concentration that was on her face. He never saw that on anyone else, except for his teammates on a serious mission. It made him think about how determined she was, and although it was for the strangest reason, he gained just a tiny bit of respect for her. Just a bit.

Looking at a fuchsia flower, he wondered if she had found it, yet. Had she accomplished her small goal? He blinked, and found himself hoping slightly that she had—he knew what it was like to not be able to. He stared at the flower for another few moments, taking in the color, before he remembered something she had said. A fuchsia flower…

He had found it.

Granted, he had begun to walk away when she had told his team about it, but he had caught that much before getting out of earshot. He reached out a hand and gently picked the flower at the base of the stem, careful. He was surprised at himself for acting so gentle, but he ignored it. He had to get this flower to the Hyuga. He didn't know why, he didn't know how.

He just had to.

* * *

><p>Hinata sat on a bench in the park, her head in her hands. She was tired, after having been on her feet all day, searching to no avail. She just couldn't find it, and she looked up at the moon high in the sky. <em>It's getting late…perhaps I should return home now…<em>

Sighing, she stood up and walked along the stone path towards the Hyuga estate. Her head was down, disappointed that she hadn't found it today. She smiled a little when she remembered the sight of Naruto's grin, and his thumbs up as he promised her he would find it. _Maybe he will already have found it,_ she thought hopefully. Her spirits lifted a little, she walked with a little more energy. She was nearly home when she noticed a figure leaning against a tree.

_Who is that?_ she wondered, and drawing closer she could make out a familiar stance. "Oh, S-sasuke," she managed out, mildly surprised. He looked like he had been waiting for her, and she couldn't imagine why he would be waiting for her of all people.

"Here."

She gasped in shock, and delight, when he held out to her a small, fuchsia colored flower. "T-this…this is…"

"That flower you wanted, right?" he asked, gazing at her. This _was_ the flower she wanted, right? He swore it was…

She took it gently, then beamed up at him. Sasuke, despite himself, looked taken aback. He had never seen her other than being shy and quiet, and now there was absolutely no trace of shyness on her face, except a light flush in her cheeks. "Y-yes! Yes, it was, t-thank you very much, Sasuke! I…I have been working very hard, for so long…" she trailed off, happily, as he looked at her rather warily. _He found it for me!_ she thought enthusiastically. Then she remembered Naruto…he promised her he'd find it, but here was Sasuke, the last person she'd expect in front of her, giving her a flower.

He looked away, "Well, since you have your flower now, I'll be going." He took a step, before he heard her call softly, "Wait!"

He looked over his shoulder, slightly annoyed. Couldn't she just take the stupid thing? She'd already said thanks, now he could leave, right? "What?"

"Um…I…thank you, very much…but, how…how did you know? I mean…I told Naruto, and Sakura, and…Naruto promised me…" she stopped, uncertain as to what she was really trying to say. He had looked like he wasn't paying any attention at all during her encounter with them earlier, nor had he seemed like he cared.

His eyebrow went up. "Well, I was with them this morning. I heard you saying you wanted it," he nodded to the flower she was clutching delicately to her chest, "not that I cared. It's a flower." She blinked, and she turned just a little more red. "Well, it's important to m-me. It reminds me of m-my m-mother…" she said softly.

Sasuke faced her now, his expression a little mystified. She was so easily pleased…it was just a flower! But, he figured, tomatoes make _him_ happy, so he wasn't one to talk. He just managed to conceal his joy a lot more. "Well, I was out on a mission today, and I saw it. I remembered you asking for it, so I figured I'd bring it home." She met his eyes again, her own looking slightly baffled. He understood, he was as well by his own actions. What was he doing here? He was talking to a girl—a _girl!_—at night, when he could be home, sleeping. It vaguely dawned on him that if someone walked in on them, it could really be taken out of text: he was with a girl, under a full moon, giving her a flower.

He needed to get out of there. Fast.

"Anyway, it was because it was your goal. The flower, right?" she nodded, and he continued, "I don't like when goals aren't achieved. Even something so stupid as this," he looked away, a light blush forming on his cheeks. This was a lot of unneeded conversation. He should've left when he had the chance…he glanced at her as she smiled at him.

"Thank you, Sasuke," she said breathlessly, and suddenly, before either could comprehend what was happening, she hugged him. He stood, frozen. He had no idea what to do—of course, he'd had girls hug him before, but they were girls he detested, or couldn't tolerate. And they were against his will, mostly still hugging him after he struggled to get out of their grasp. Hinata, at least, wasn't totally crazy. He felt the heat in his cheeks spread to his ears, and thanked God it was dark out.

Hinata, on the other hand, was too happy, too thankful, to really understand what she was doing. It was just a reaction, after all; he did this for her when he knew better than she did that he didn't _have_ to. She knew his odd, sometimes harsh words were things he didn't mean; he just didn't know how to say them other than that way. She wished he wouldn't feel so uncomfortable, but she understood she couldn't change him. Right now, she was happy beyond belief at his kind gesture.

Before he could respond at all, she pulled away, looking down fondly at the flower she cradled. "I must get home," she murmured. He nodded, then turned and walked away without a word. Despite her words, Hinata stood, watching him leave. Never had she felt so grateful to anyone, especially not the Uchiha boy. _He really is kind, too…it's sad that no one tries to understand that…_she glanced at the flower, then opened the gate to her home.

Once inside, she pressed the flower in her collection book, and pulled on her pajamas. She slid in the sheets, and she fell asleep with a smile on her face, her usual blond-and-blue dreams replaced with fuchsia and black.

* * *

><p><strong>Well...that was something. Hopefully it wasn't too bad. For some reason, it's more difficult for me to write in Hinata's POV, but I still did it! So, until ext time, please review! <strong>

**~Liviyan**


	5. Winter

**And here is the next one! =D Oh, yay! And this one turned out fairly nice. ^_^ I literally did this one in a half hour upon returning home from my friends graduation party. At first, it was going to be titled 'Tomatoes', but then I typed the first sentence, and that flew out the window! And now, I present to you: Winter!**

**Disclaimer:**** Nope, still don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><span>Winter<span>

He loved winter.

It was always cold, and the blizzarding snow outside, with the wind howling, made it all better. It was so _him_. It reminded him of when he was young, after a day of playing and training outside, he would come in to a warm fire and his mother's hot tea.

He loved winter.

His favorite place to go was a small little restaurant. It had only a few people in it at a time, but that was okay with him; he was never one for mild conversation.

And that is where we find one Sasuke Uchiha on this cold day. He sat down at a table, pulling off his scarf and gloves, sighing contently. He waved a person over to order his usual tea, and crossed his fingers in front of him, eyes closed as he absorbed the warmth, barely noticing the tinkling bell that signified another customer.

He loved winter.

He heard something bump the table, and a soft _plump!_ in the seat across from him. Sensing a familiar chakra, he opened his eyes slowly as he braced himself for the bright orange whirlwind that just sat down in front of him.

"Sasuke! Heh, didn't think I'd see you here!" the blond boy grinned widely, adjusting his forehead protector before removing his own wraps.

Sasuke mentally sighed. Here it goes, another day full of Naruto. "I always come here. What do you want, dobe?" Naruto pouted, slightly. "Hey, I just wanted to stop for something warm! I didn't have any tea at my house, and Ichiraku's is closed. It isn't like I followed you here or something," he mumbled as an afterthought to his best friend.

"Hn," the dark-haired genin replied. A cup of steaming tea was set in front of him, and Sasuke inhaled the scent of the spices he so enjoyed.

He loved winter.

He took a small sip, careful not to burn himself. Turning to the waitress, he asked, "Can I get some of the roasted tomatoes?" he asked flatly. She nodded, writing down his order, before turning to Naruto. "Ramen, please! Um…I think I'll go with beef this time…" she wrote that down as well, then turned and left.

"Roasted tomatoes? Ew," Naruto made a face. Sasuke, who had returned to his original position, glared at him. "Yeah, tomatoes. They're better than ramen," he retorted.

The orange-clad boy snorted. "Hell no, they aren't! But, I'll admit, it's one of the best tasting vegetables I've ever—"

"Fruit," Sasuke cut him off, and Naruto looked at him questioningly. "Huh?" Sasuke sighed loudly, sat back and folded his arms. "Fruit, idiot. Tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable."

Naruto sat, dumbfounded. He sat in silence, before he opened his mouth, to his best friend's annoyance. "Nuh-uh! Tomatoes are a vegetable!"

"No, they aren't."

"Yeah they are! I'm not stupid!"

"Sure seems like it to me."

"Hey! I do a bit of gardening, so I know a lot about plants!" Naruto shot back, slamming his hands on the table. Sasuke, unfazed, leaned forward while resting his arms on the table and smirked. "And tomatoes are my favorite _fruit_. So I know all about them, too," he explained calmly, in a maddeningly superior tone. He was never one for mild conversation; but when it was an argument with Naruto, he was _definitely_ the one for the job. To his satisfaction, Naruto was looking quite steamed. Was he seriously getting angry over this silly argument? Sasuke shook his head, still smirking, as the little bell at the front of the restaurant rang again.

"They are too a vegetable! I know they are, I can prove—hey!" Sasuke glanced up quickly to see Naruto waving frantically. Looking over in the direction his friend was waving, he saw a girl with short, blue hair and pale eyes and skin looking at them. "Hey, Hinata! C'mere!" Naruto shouted.

Her face quickly turned red, and she hesitantly and slowly walked over to their table, her hands wringing the lavender scarf in her grasp. "A-ano, N-Naruto…Sasuke…" she greeted quietly. The raven-haired boy nodded his greeting.

"Hey, Hinata, you know a lot about food, right? Since, like, you cook and stuff?" Naruto asked, oblivious to the Hyuga's bashfulness. She nodded thoughtfully after a minute. Sasuke rolled his eyes, knowing where his teammate was going with this. He looked outside the window as the thick snowflakes fell, drowning out Naruto's loud voice.

He loved winter.

"So, could you help us with something?" Naruto asked, blue eyes shining. "Uh…ah, of c-course," she stuttered, at a loss for words. "Good. You see, that _teme_ over there," Sasuke, without turning his head, glanced back at the other two at Naruto's statement, "says that tomatoes are fruits. But they're not, are they? Fruits are supposed to be sweet, and tomatoes aren't sweet! They're vegetables, I know it!" Sasuke full-on gazed at both of them now, and fixed his onyx eyes on Hinata.

"And I say they're fruits for two reasons. One: I'm right. Two: I was told when I was young that they were fruit," he said steadily. She looked right back at him thoughfully; he could tell she was turning over all this information in her head. In the silence he studied the shy girl closely, subtly, so that Naruto (who was busy staring at Hinata also in anticipation) and she would not notice.

He looked at her pale skin, which was as white as the puffs of snow gathered in banks outside. It looked just as soft, which he thought meant she was weaker than the other genin in their year. What ninja had soft skin anyway? He continued on, looking at her dark hair. It reminded him of nighttime, the quiet and still time of midnight. He wondered why he was comparing her hair with something like that, and mentally shook himself. She was like the living embodiment of winter, his favorite season. And then he noticed her eyes.

Although they were just as pale as her skin, they didn't make him think of snow. They were warm, kind—and he was, again, transported to being about five or six years old, and sitting in front of a fire with a book, while his brother sat beside him with homework. Often, their mother would be in a chair nearby, with her own book and his father would be almost asleep, sitting comfortably in his own seat. Her white eyes, so kind, reminded him of his mother's dark ones, equally as warm.

"Well…"

Her quiet voice brought him back to reality, and he snapped to attention and looked at her hair, figuring that was a safe option. He felt slightly aggravated; who was _she_ to remind him of such things, to bring back those memories? He knew, in all fairness, that she had no idea that she was doing such a thing, she couldn't help it. But, then again, when did he ever care about that?

Naruto leaned forward, a grin creeping into his features, and he caught Sasuke's eye, the latter smirking. "Well," Hinata began again, pushing her index fingers together nervously. "T-tomatoes can be _considered_ a vegetable…"

"YEAH!" Naruto pumped a fist in the air before slamming it back down. "Take _that,_ teme!" he shouted triumphantly. Sasuke, however, to the boy's surprise, didn't look brought down. In fact, he looked rather smug. "She didn't finish yet, loser." Glancing at her, he nodded for her to continue. She cast her eyes to the table, and she mentally began to trace the patterns in the ceramic.

"Y-yes, they c-can be considered a v-vegetable, b-but only when c-cooking." She gazed up at the boys, who were both looking at her now, and she, unused to such attention, quickly looked back down and wrung her hands again. "However, tomatoes have s-seeds. They grow the same w-way as other f-fruits, like a-apples. Therefore," she looked up apologetically at the blond ninja, "t-tomatoes are, t-truly, fruits."

Naruto looked at both of his friends, dumbstruck. "Really? They're…they're actually fruits?" he asked, incredulous. Since when? Sasuke rolled his eyes, "That's what she just said: They're fruits."

"B-but you weren't w-wrong either, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata added hastily. Naruto was silent, then smiled widely. "Yeah, I guess I wasn't. Thanks, Hinata!" he ruffled her hair, oblivious to her turning a dangerous shade of red. The waitress returned with the boys' dishes and set the bowls down on the table. "Oh, boy! Ramen!" He clapped his hands together thankfully before picking up his chopsticks and digging in.

Sasuke picked up his own chopsticks and also began to eat, albeit more gracefully than his best friend," and in between bites he looked at the Hyuga sitting across from him. The door opened as another customer walked in, and her hair blew slightly with the breeze, a couple snowflakes landing on her hand, almost disappearing before melting. His gaze slid up to her eyes, who shifted between the boys happily. "I'm glad t-to have been some h-help," she murmured pleasantly, before looking out the window. And right then, Sasuke knew for sure.

He loved winter.

* * *

><p><strong>And there we go! I'm not quite sure where anyone was going with this, but...well, I liked the argument between Naruto and Sasuke. Seems like something stupid they'd argue about. I must say, though, the idea of them arguing is originally not mine-just the prompt 'Winter' and anything surrounding it. So review, and give me your ideas!<strong>

**~Liviyan**


	6. Happy Birthday Part II

**Okay, so...I've been thinking of doing this one for awhile. It's like Happy Birthday, the first prompt, but now it's Hinata's turn to have a bad birthday! And who could cheer her up? Well, we'll find out. ^_^ So, here is Happy Birthday part II. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**** I STILL don't own Naruto...**

* * *

><p><span>Happy Birthday (part II)<span>

Pearl eyes opened to the morning light fading in the room. Sitting up, the small girl rubbed her eyes warily and yawned delicately. Looking over at the calendar on her wall, she smiled widely. Today was Hinata Hyuuga's thirteenth birthday, and she hoped it would be special.

Normally, she received a gift from Hanabi, and last year she got one from Neji as well. Very rarely did she receive anything from her father—he decided that it was a waste of time to do so, and his idea of a gift was to let her spar with Neji instead. Poor Hinata shuddered at the thought; she loved Neji, she did, but fighting him was very difficult, and she never won.

Plus, her birthday was two days after Christmas, so she considered her Christmas gifts from everyone as birthday presents, too—at least, that's what she told herself to make her feel better.

She slid out of bed and quickly got dressed. She padded down the hall and rounded a corner, nearly running into Hanabi.

"Good morning, Hanabi," she said, surprised. Her younger sister gazed up at her, smiling slightly. "Happy Birthday, Hinata," she said, smiling slightly. She held out a small box, unwrapped. Hinata blinked, then took the box.

"T-thank you, Hanabi!" she said, nearly breathless. Even though she always got a gift from her sister, it still made her just as happy to receive one regardless. Her sister nodded, then walked away. "I wish you a good day, Sister," she said over her shoulder. Hinata nodded, then opened the little box. She let out a small gasp as she lifted out a small, delicate silver flower with a small turquoise stone set in the middle. Smiling, she ran back to her room and set the flower on her vanity table, in it's box of course.

Making her way out of the house, her scarf around her already normally rosy cheeks, she glanced up and down the street, uncertain of which way to go. She decided to go into the village, hoping to run into someone she knew (namely, Naruto). As she walked along, her feet crunching in the snow, she heard a faint barking. As it got louder, she looked behind her to see a small dog running at her, wagging his tail. Smiling, she crouched down as it jumped into her arms. "Good morning, Akamaru!"

"Hey!"

Looking up, Hinata smiled softly. "H-hello, Kiba," she greeted, her breath appearing before her. Her teammate skidded to a stop, spraying up some snow accidentally. "Whoops! Sorry about that…hey, Hinata! It's a bit early for you to be out here, isn't it? And a little cold," he added. Hinata giggled into her scarf a bit, before handing Akamaru to Kiba. "I woke up early today. I guess the C-Christmas spirit hasn't w-worn off…"

Akamaru climbed up onto Kiba's shoulder, then scrambled down and situated himself in Kiba's jacket, snuggling down til he was comfortable. Kiba chuckled, "Little freeloader." Akamaru looked up at his owner indignantly, "Woof!" Hinata giggled again.

"Hey, Hinata! I'm going to meet the others at the training ground! We're all going to have a snowball fight!" He gave her a lopsided grin, "And Naruto's the one who called it all together! You wanna come?" Hinata's cheeks got redder, and she hoped Kiba thought it was from the cold, even though Kiba already knew of her admiration for the blond boy. "Um…well, I…"

The Inuzuka slung an arm over her shoulder. "Aw, come on Hinata!" he whined, and Akamaru threw in a couple whimpers. "Please? It'll be fun!" Hinata was quiet for a moment, before sighing. "Okay, Kiba…"

"Yes!" Kiba ran off, his quiet teammate still in the crook of his arm so she was dragged. Within minutes they arrived at the training ground, where all the Rookie Nine and Team Gai were sitting in their bundles. Naruto stood in the middle, catching snowflakes on his tongue with Sakura and Lee. Tenten sat with Neji, who was looking at the blond ninja condescendingly, and Shikamaru laid down on his otherside, hands cushioning his head. Choji sat under a tree, looking like he was snoozing, and Ino stood next to a grumpy looking Sasuke, tugging on his arm.

Kiba let go of Hinata, who took a deep breath. "Hey everyone!" he shouted, waving. Hinata walked closely behind, keeping an eye on Naruto. He, along with everyone else, looked at them. "Alright! Now that they're here, we can get started!" Naruto cheered. "Wait," Sakura looked around, "Where's Shino?"

"I'm right here."

Choji jumped a foot away from the tree, where Shino was now hanging upside down. "AAAHHH!" the larger boy screamed. Shino raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"DON'T DO THAT!" Choji and Naruto said simultaneously as he dropped to the snow below. Hinata smiled as Kiba, Ino and Sakura laughed, and even Neji smiled a little. "Anyway, now that we're here, let's get this started!"

"And just what are we doing, dobe?" a voice called out. Hinata looked over to Sasuke, who smirked. "A snowball fight, duh!" Naruto shouted back. After explaining the rules, they divided into teams: Kiba and Naruto were captains.

"I pick…Sakura, Lee, um…Choji, Shino, and…Hinata!" Naruto said. "Fine, the rest are on my team!" Kiba retorted. "Good luck, you'll need it!"

Naruto scoffed. "Yeah right, dog boy!" They set to work building bases, albeit they were rather small ones, just big enough to fit everyone inside. "You ready?" he called to Kiba and his team. They signaled back that it was okay.

"Okay, in 3…2…1…GO!"

It was a flurry of snowballs, and Hinata ducked under the wall of snow blocking the pummeling spheres. _Naruto picked me! I'm so happy…I'm so close to him!_ She looked up at the boy, who was shouting a battlecry and pelting snowballs at the opposite team. She looked back at the ground in disappointment as she handed Lee a couple snowballs. _But, he didn't wish me a happy birthday…nor did the others, not even Neji-nii-san…_Although, to be fair, maybe they didn't know—and now was the first time she saw Neji today, so he couldn't have told her yet.

But, they had known her for a long time now; they should know her birthday by now, right?

She shook her head, clearing out these thoughts. _Don't be silly,_ she told herself. She shouldn't expect anyone to go out of their way for her, when in all actuality she hates attention. Standing up and ducking, she went around and handed everyone snowballs. Her own throwing was rather poor compared to the others, so she was just the ammunition-supplier. Sitting down in her spot again, she looked at each of her teammates. She felt happy looking at them all having fun, but she still felt a small twinge of sadness. She wanted at least a 'happy birthday', nothing more. Was she _really_ that invisible?

Figuring everyone had enough sufficient ammo to keep them occupied, she crawled away into the trees. _I can't believe it…no one even said anything to me. Don't they know that it's today? Everyone else knows Neji's…and Sakura, Ino…even Naruto!_

She sniffled a little, and quickly wiped away the tear sliding down her cheek before it could freeze. She couldn't stop her sniffles, and the sadness beginning to overtake her. She knew the others cared, but…still, this was her special day! Neji, Hanabi and her father hardly count, they live with her!

"Hey."

Startled, Hinata looked up. Sasuke was looking down at her coolly, his normal impassive look on his face. She quickly wiped her eyes again with her mitted hands, turning pink. _Oh! I hope he didn't see me cry…_"Oh…h-hello, Sasuke…"

"Hinata, right? What are you doing here?" Looking back at him, she saw him nod towards the battle behind her. "Shouldn't you be out there, supporting your team?" She gazed at him, "I-I could ask y-you the same thing," she responded quietly. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she quickly looked down, embarrassed.

"Snowball fights are dumb. A waste of time," he responded finally. "That s-sounds like m-my father," Hinata murmured. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Anyway," she continued, "It's f-fun! Especially w-when we are all t-together, as f-friends."

"Well, you never answered me. Why aren't _you_ out there?" he persisted. She looked down, sighing through her nose. "B-because…I'm sad."

He snorted, and a his breath formed a small cloud around his nose. "Why are you sad? You're here with all your friends, even the moron!" he said almost disdainfully. She looked away, "I…I'm sad because…well, I…"

He sighed impatiently, "Spit it out!" She jumped, and fiddled the tips of her mitts together, where her index fingers were. "It's m-my birthday!" she half-shouted, turning pinker. A long silence ensued between them, the sounds of the snowball fight breaking into it.

"Why would that be sad for you? I mean…well, you look like you...like that sort of thing," he said slowly, as if he didn't know what he was trying to say. She glanced up at him from under her lashes, "Well, I-I do. I l-like my birthday, normally. B-but…" she fell quiet, unsure of what to say. Why was he talking to her? He barely knew who she was, he even had to ask her name at one point. "Well…I know t-this may sound s-selfish of me, but…I wanted people to r-remember it…no one e-ever does, except Neji-nii, Hanabi, and my father." He glanced at her, "Hanabi?"

"M-my sister."

He nodded, and she continued, "And I…I don't want p-presents…just...acknowledgement…at least a 'Happy Birthday'…" she heard a chuckle, and met his gaze again to see him smirking. "Did you write a note to yourself?" he asked. She blinked in surprise, then smiled softly. "Y-yes, actually. But," she let the smile disappear, "it's n-not the same…" She heard him crouch down, and she glanced up again. "Do you want anything warm? You look cold, and I'm not carrying you back home." She looked thoughtful; why was he asking her this? "Well, um…I-I could ask Neji-nii for cinnamon rolls later, b-but…I'm f-fine now, really…" she trailed off, embarrassed. _What_ was she even saying?

She heard the crunch of snow, and looked up to see the Uchiha walking away. "Wait here," he said, not even looking back. Too surprised to really move, she brought her hands to her arms and rubbed them to get the blood flowing; it was getting _cold_! She sat, wondering what on Earth he was doing. Figuring it had nothing to do with her or her friends, she peered around the tree to see her friends giggling and laughing. The forts had collapsed, and everyone, even Neji she could see, were in the middle of the clearing throwing handfuls of snow at each other.

She smiled, though she still felt a bit sad. She told someone how she felt, along with what she wanted for her birthday, and still nothing. Of course, it _was_ Sasuke; did he ever show any such kindness? Even to his best friends? She could easily answer that one: nope.

She saw a shadow loom over her, and she looked back to see Sasuke sitting down. She blinked again, "Ah…Sasuke…" Suddenly, he held out a bag. "Here."

Confused, she hesitantly took the bag. He showed no emotion as he lowered his arm to his lap, watching her open the bag slowly. She widened her white eyes as she reached in and pulled out a warm cinnamon roll. Looking back at Sasuke, she gaped. _Did…did Sasuke _really_ just give me a present?_ "W-what? T-this…"

"Happy Birthday," he said simply, showing nothing but his normal indifference. A small smirk appeared, "Isn't that what you wanted? Acknowledgement?" Still surprised, she nodded. "Well then, you got it. Now eat, or else I'll feel insulted. And trust me, " his smirk widened just slightly as his voice took a warning edge to it, "you _don't_ want to insult an Uchiha."

She looked back and forth between the baked good in her hand and the dark-haired boy sitting in front of her, whose smirk had mostly disappeared. A warm feeling swept through her, and she asked, "T-thank you, Sasuke! But…m-may I ask…why?"

"You gave me a…decent present for my birthday," she suddenly remembered placing a basket of tomatoes on his porch with a note on it, "so I felt indebted. I don't like to feel indebted to anyone. I didn't know when your birthday was, but now I do. Now we're even, so be happy." He drawled. The warm feeling grew, spreading from her toes and right up to her head, but it wasn't the usual 'I'm blushing' heat. She felt…happy, satisfied. She got her birthday wish: recognition, even if it _was_ from Sasuke. "Thank you again, S-Sasuke," she smiled, white eyes shining at black.

"Hn. Don't mention it," he said in a tone that said, _really, don't ever mention it._ Still smiling, she ate her cinnamon roll, the sweetness warming her even further. She closed her eyes in appreciation, as she took small bites, eventually finishing it all. Standing up, she oddly felt better. "I t-think I w-will go back and j-join in. Are…are you c-coming?" she asked. He stood up as well, "…no. I think I'll stay here." He leaned against the tree, crossing his arms. Hinata nodded, then walked back to the others.

Luckily, the snow fight was so intense, no one noticed as she jumped in the fray, giggling as she threw a bit of snow at Neji. Grinning, her cousin chased her around until he was hit by some snow from Naruto, who laughed hysterically until he got a faceful of Neji's snow. Hinata laughed, her cheeks a light pink from the cold.

"Hey, Hinata! Happy Birthday!" Naruto told her, wiping the snow from his now red face. She blinked, still smiling, "Wha-?" He grinned, "Neji told me!" he explained, before patting her on the back and running off. Hinata sighed happily, thinking how much better her day was becoming.

Maybe, her birthday wasn't so bad.

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><p><strong>Okay, so that's the mini sequel. I think this one came out pretty well for Hinata. Her birthday is in December, so that's where the snowball fight idea came from. In case anyone doesn't remember, Sasuke was having a bad day cause he was getting chased by his fangirls with sweets: the two things he hates the most! So Hinata gave him a basket of tomatoes. He remembers this, and feeling he owes her, gets her a present for <em>her<em> birthday! Cute, isn't it? In it's own way. ^_^ So please, review!**

**~Liviyan**


	7. Parents

**Hello, all! This one is supposed to be somewhat angsty, so...fair warning. It's titled 'Parents', because they both discuss what their parents were like, what with similarities and whatever. It's a little shaky in some areas, I think, but this was a hard topic to write with. Still, I'm somewhat satisfied with the result, so please review it!**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto. Simple as that.**

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><p><span>Parents<span>

Sasuke wandered the streets of his village, hands deep within his pockets. He glanced at the people out of the corners of his eyes. They waved at him cheerily, and he, in turn, ignored them. It wasn't that he was trying to come off as rude; he just didn't see the point of saying hello to people he didn't know. He walked down the road, nodding to some of his fellow genin when they called out to him. The various buildings around him disappeared, and became a long wall on one side, and trees on the other. He glanced at it and noticed the flame symbol on the wall.

He was at the Hyuuga house.

He continued on, thinking about what type of genjutsu he should attempt during training; perhaps he'll ask Kakashi to help train with him. As he strode on, he heard a faint voice growing louder and louder as he got closer to the gate. Slowing down, he realized it was a man yelling. He finally stopped right in front of the closed gate, and looked at the dark wood, trying to figure out what was going on.

"…I'd expect more from my daughter! Not only that, but my eldest, the one who is the heiress to this clan!" the voice shouted. Sasuke was curious, _What the…?_ Glancing left, then right, he saw no one approaching, then back at the gate. Whatever was going down in there, it was serious. Curiosity growing, he crept closer and peered through a crack between the beams of the gate.

He saw a tall man sitting straight up, gazing disdainfully down at the trembling, blue-haired girl bowing before him. Sasuke took it all in: the yard was deserted, sans a couple sparring dummies similar to the one at the training ground, and several targets with kunai lodged in them. He shifted his onyx eyes back to the man and what Sasuke presumed was his daughter. The man opened his mouth and spoke again, "Your nine-year-old sister is far more advanced than you!" he spat, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the girl trembled even harder. "You will continue this tomorrow, and spar with Hanabi until you get this right! For now, go! Get out of my sight!"

For a moment there was silence, and Sasuke managed to hear a quiet, "Y-yes…sir…" from the girl. She sat up, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise to see Hinata. Her father stood and went inside, leaving poor Hinata to sit alone in her humiliation. Sasuke stood back from the gate, and hesitantly turned to leave. He had no right to be here, it wasn't his business.

"Hear anything good, Sasuke?" Kakashi stood casually, hands in his own pockets, looking at his student. Sasuke froze in surprise, before recovering and glaring at his sensei. "What are you doing, sneaking up like that?" Kakashi chuckled, "Well yes, I suppose that wasn't necessary. But neither is snooping," he added lightly. Sasuke scowled, looking away to his right, "I wasn't snooping, he was yelling loud enough for the whole damn village to hear." The masked man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, true, but still. You shouldn't have looked through there to see it." Sasuke looked back at the gate.

"Kakashi-sensei? Who was he? And why was he yelling at her?" Kakashi blinked. "If you want to know, that was Hiashi Hyuuga, head of the main family and all of the Hyuuga clan, and Hinata's father." Sasuke quickly looked back at his teacher. Her father? His own father flashed in his mind's eye for a split second. "He was scolding her because she isn't quite…up to his standards," he said carefully. "She isn't quite good enough for him yet, and he wants her to be better. Unfortunately for her," he sighed, "she just can't grasp things as easily as you or Naruto or even Sakura can." He glanced off in the direction of the Hokage tower, "Anyway, I need to report to the Godaime for a mission, so I can't help you train today. Sorry, Sasuke!" He smiled, waved, and disappeared. Sasuke grunted, there went his partner for the day. He strode off in the direction of the training grounds, resolved to train on his own, and figure out genjutsu techniques himself.

As he walked, he kept hearing Hiashi scolding his daughter. He figured that she _was_ pretty weak, so maybe she deserved it. Especially if she had a younger sister who was more advanced than she was. He shook his head to clear those thoughts away; why would he even bother? Hyuuga matters shouldn't even concern him; the Uchiha had always kept out of Hyuuga business, being rival clans.

Once arriving at his favorite spot to train, he started training with a nearby dummy, tossing shuriken at it and testing his speed. After he went as fast as he figured he could today, he sat down, panting. _This isn't enough…I need a partner!_ He tossed another shuriken in frustration, landing in a nearby tree. The leaves rustled, and he glanced up as a figure stepped in the clearing.

"H-hello, Sasuke," Hinata fiddled with the hem of her jacket shyly. "I…I saw you were training, and I…well, I…"

"What do you want?" Sasuke stood up, giving her a small glare. She turned pink, "I would l-like to train w-with you," she squeaked. He raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I…well, actually, I w-would like you to h-help me t-train," she said quietly, then glanced at him nervously. "I want to become s-stronger, and…well, you are the b-best in our year, and…I want y-you to help m-me…"

After minutes of silence, Sasuke sighed. "Fine," he said. "But don't think I'll go easy on you." She shook her head, "P-please…don't go easy on m-me."

They took their stances, his Sharingan and her Byakugan activated. She moved first, beginning her Eight Trigrams attack. "Jyuukenou! Hake Rokujyuu Yonshyou!" (Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms). Sasuke evaded her attacks, some just narrowly. Ducking under her arm, he saw an opening and punched upwards, sending her flying. She skidded across the ground and hit a tree, and Sasuke stood defensively, watching her through crimson eyes.

She pushed herself up and ran towards him, thrusting out her hand. "Shotei! (Palm Heel Strike!)" Sasuke moved just slightly to the left, dropping his arm at the last second and thrusting himself sideways, knocking the girl off her feet. He faced her, "Give up yet?"

"No." To his surprise she got back up, and ran towards him yet again. She began to strike at him, her hands glowing light blue chakra, "Chakra Needle Technique!" She shot needle-like bits of chakra at him, and his eyes widened as he jumped around, trying to dodge both her Gentle Fist style and her needles.

_What? How did she get so quick?_ He pushed her arm away, and kept jumping and ducking. _Damn! I can't get an opening!_ Finally he saw another shot. He quickly jumped behind her and punched her in the shoulder blade. She stumbled and spun around, to be punched in the cheek. Regaining her balance, she looked around for him, seeing he was not there. "Where did he go?" she asked herself.

She sensed him behind her, and spun quickly, hands glowing again. But she was too late; he brought up a leg and kicked her, sending her flying again. He stood, panting and wiped off the dirt from his cheek as she slowly pushed herself up again. She gazed at him, her Byakugan deactivated. She was holding her arm, panting. He let his Sharingan deactivate as he walked over to her. "That was a good run," he told her, and she blinked up at him.

"But it was still weak."

She blinked again, before gazing down sadly. "Y-yes…" she agreed quietly. She sat down under the tree, taking out a jar of her ointment and applied it to the cuts on her face. He gazed down at her skeptically. "Don't be so disappointed. If you want to do better, train like that more."

She glared up at him, and he looked slightly taken aback. "I do train like that! Every day!" She put away her ointment, and leaned back, looking up at the leaves. Her eyes softened, and she sighed sadly. "But it's not g-good enough for my father. He w-wants a genius, like Neji…or Hanabi. But the p-problem is that I'm the oldest, and the heiress…_I'm_ the one that should be s-strong, and Hanabi…she should look up to _me_. But I'm not…"

Sasuke looked around, then back at the shy girl. What was she complaining about? At least she had a father and sister. He sighed, then sat down. He was too tired to try and go home yet. He remembered this morning, how Hiashi shouted in disappointment at Hinata, and it reminded him of his own father.

How when he was just six or seven years old, and he wanted his father to notice _him_, to acknowledge him as his son as well. He had wanted to make his father proud of him, and he suddenly recognized himself within Hinata. True, for her it was the other way around by having to live up to a younger sibling (or cousin), but still…

"He's proud of you."

She looked up at him, shocked and confused. "W-what?" He gazed back at her, his eyes unreadable. "Your father. He may be harsh, and maybe disappointed. But, you aren't a total failure; I could tell you that from this training. You even landed a couple hits on me," he showed her his shirt, which was slightly torn on his shoulder from her chakra needles. "So he has to be proud of you a little." Hinata blinked, then a knowing expression came on her face. "S-Sasuke…you felt this way before, haven't you?"

He looked at the blades of grass in front of him. "Yeah…I always thought my father wasn't proud of me. He was too busy always congratulating my brother for his accomplishments. He would always compare me to my brother…" he stopped himself quickly. What was he even doing? Why was he telling this to her? He never told anyone this, not even his team. "Did…did he tell you h-he was?" he heard her ask tentatively a moment later.

Before he could stop himself this time, he shook his head. "No. My mother did—she told me that when he was alone with her, he would always talk about me. And my mother…I never talked to her much, but she was proud of me." He drew his dark eyes to her light ones, to see her studying him. He wondered what she was thinking, and then wondered what _he_ was thinking. But, why not? He already told her this much. And she wasn't crazy about him like Sakura, or Ino, so he had a feeling she wouldn't bother him about it after this. Like they would ever talk to each other after this…

"She was always worried about me, and made my favorite foods for me. She took care of me," he continued, and he envisioned his mother smiling at him. He looked down at the ground again as sadness overcame him, and he tried to squash it down.

"Your mother sounded kind." He blinked at the girl sitting across from him. "I'm sorry you lost her," she added quietly. He narrowed his eyes, "I don't need your pity." Her eyes snapped to his, "And why would you? You have no right to be sad, at least you have a mother!" he nearly shouted angrily.

She looked at him, worried. That made him angrier for some reason—he didn't need sympathy! He needed strength, so he could avenge his parents. He was about to get up and leave this pathetic girl here, when she spoke.

"You're wrong."

His eyes snapped angrily to her face, where she gazed at him steadily. "What?" he asked through gritted teeth. "I…I said you're wrong," she repeated. "I…I don't…have a mother. Not anymore," she muttered, looking down at her hands, twisted in her lap. His face relaxed, his anger dissipating. She didn't have a mother? "What…?"

She smiled softly. "Mother…was v-very sick. When she g-gave birth to my sister, she couldn't hold on a-anymore. She fought with h-her life, but…she was too w-weak." To his shock and dismay, he saw tears running down her cheeks. What the hell was he supposed to do with a crying girl here? "Father was left to raise us…he was already upset, b-because my uncle, his b-brother, had sacrificed himself. And now m-my mother was gone. He started training m-me and Hanabi relentlessly. While m-my sister could grow easily, I could not. I am a d-disappointment," she said, wiping her face. "And Hanabi…she is like Father. S-she is very serious, and I love her v-very much, but…I can't talk to her. She doesn't r-remember Mother, so she n-never knew her kindness."

Sasuke didn't know what to say. Whenever he was upset, he had gone to his mother, or more often his brother. Itachi had always managed to cheer him up, and his mother had given him a few loving words that made him feel better. He couldn't imagine he'd be where he was today if he hadn't received such encouragement. Of course, he had eventually gained his father's approval directly, but…he doubted her situation was the same. He had advanced more quickly than she had.

"I'm sorry." He found himself saying those words, and even more surprising to him, he found he meant it. His eyes betrayed no emotion, however, as she blinked, just as surprised as he felt. She gaped, at a loss for words, before nodding. "T-thank you. I…I know she is proud, just like your family is…proud of y-you," she smiled softly, her tear-stained cheeks tinged pink. He raised his head, studying the sky. "It's almost dark," he said, standing. He held out a hand to her, "We better head home." Nodding, she took his hand and was helped to her feet.

They walked, side by side to her house, his hands in his pockets and her hands fiddling together. Upon reaching the gate, she stopped. "Sasuke," she began. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. "I…thank you," she said, not quite sure what to say. He nodded, and was about to walk away before he felt arms around his midsection in a tentative hug. He looked down over his shoulder in surprise, to see dark blue hair resting against his shirt. "You helped m-me," he heard her say, muffled by his shirt. "I would like to train w-with you again, sometime. Good n-night, Sasuke." And with that, he felt her arms withdraw and heard her run inside before the gate slammed shut.

He watched the gate for a second, before turning and walking home at an easy pace. She would never truly know his pain at being alone, but if he had managed to get Fugaku to admit he had been proud of him, she would be able to gain approval from Hiashi. He felt a small smirk grow, and he knew something right then: because of Hinata, he realized he only had to work to get his parents approval because his parents wanted him to be the best he could be. He and Hinata were alike, strange as that may be. But although they didn't physically have their mothers, they both had something much more important:

Their parents' love.

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><p><strong>Yep. Not too happy with that last paragraph, but I had changed it like, eight times and this was all I could get. So tell me what you think, and the next one is going to be a funny one, I promise! ^_^<strong>

**~Liviyan**


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